“Very sorry, sir” our driver said with a wry smile. “Water finished.”  We’d been driving for hours in hot weather on dusty, poorly-maintained roads and were looking forward to a shower at one of the few refuges in Wasgamuwa National Park.  We’d been told there’d be showers, and yet… “River just there, very nice for cooling!” We came to refer to these incidents as “Widgies” as our driver’s nickname was Widgie.  He was a pretty good driver and fairly-reliable translator, but had a certain propensity for folly, which made life on the road interesting to say the least. On one occasion our battery died, far from any auto parts store - he’d forgotten jumper cables - yet with a bent and broken coat hanger connected to a single, rusty terminal he somehow got the car started again. So, wading into the river I lay down and let the refreshing water roll over my skin thinking our driver had it about right this time - smart guy, Widgie. Cool water, warm sun on my face, the primal yet peaceful sounds of the jungle… and then two large splashes just downstream. “Definitely not fish jumping” I said to myself while struggling frantically through the waste deep current back to shore. Two crocodiles had entered the water not fifty feet away, the tops of their spiny, prehistoric backs sticking out of the water, gliding slowly, decisively in my direction. As I scurried uphill and mounted the refuge steps three at a time, breathing hard while spilling my story to no one in particular, there appeared exiting the bathroom door our ever-reliable driver, wet-haired and smelling of soap. “Ah sir, water working now!” Throw any preconceived notions and your itinerary out the window, this is Sri Lanka –Welcome to the Land of Serendipity!

I had the opportunity to visit and photograph throughout Sri Lanka on two occasions, the first in 2009, just prior to the end of the protracted Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009), and again eighteen months later, in late 2010. Much had changed in that short period between my first and second visits, as the government and NGO'S worked quickly to repair roads, remove landmines, dismantle military installations, reconstruct hotels and rebuild basic infrastructure while preparing for tourism en-masse. Beach hotels that were nearly empty back in 2009 were completely booked in 2010, and the popularity of Sri Lanka as a major travel destination had grown remarkably as restrictions on previously-closed areas eased while amenities vastly improved. Yet this is still a third-world country and travelers looking for a Michelin-type experience should be well-prepared for often-demanding conditions that include arduous road travel, heat and humidity, malaria, extreme poverty, unsanitary conditions routinely associated with the third world, and the relentless noise and pollution of big cities like Colombo. For seasoned travelers with a strong sense of adventure, however, Sri Lanka is about as good as it gets when it comes to remarkable cultural experiences, breathtaking landscapes and rich biodiversity. With tropical jungles, dry savanna, white sand beaches, rolling hill country, mountains and deep valleys, you’re never far away from a new and very different adventure. And, with one of the highest rates of biological endemism on the planet, there are endless opportunities to view and photograph unique animal species in their natural habitat including Asian and Sri Lankan elephants, Langur and Macaque monkeys, leopards, crocodiles, deer, wild pigs and sloth bears in addition to over four hundred bird species. Culturally rich as well, Sri Lanka has for centuries been a major center of Buddhism, and maintains eight UNESCO World Heritage sites that include four ancient cities.

One of my more memorable experiences was spending time with the indigenous Vedda people, also known as Wanniyalaeto, or forest-dwellers. They arrived in Sri Lanka between 35,000-40,000 years ago, long before settlers from India, and thus are widely considered the original inhabitants. Self-sufficient hunter gatherers with their own language and religion, they live in relative harmony with nature yet are today surrounded by the relentless forces of modernization and globalization, struggling to retain their autonomy and safeguard their ancient culture and traditions. This appears, unfortunately, to be a losing battle - many Vedda still wear traditional clothing and carry handmade tools such as axes, bow and arrow, but more are now talking on cell phones and accessing the internet. Thanks to the efforts of my contact in Colombo, who made a commitment early on to spend time getting to know and earning the trust of the Vedda, in particular their King, we were not only invited to camp next to their huts in the jungle near Dambana, but were also allowed to bring two Vedda hunters - Sudubandiya and his son, Pohda - to Gal Oya National Park, their traditional hunting grounds for many centuries. It was an incredible opportunity to spend time with these proud yet patient men, on a deserted island in the Senanayake Samudraya, the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka, while witnessing them construct makeshift shelters, build fires from flint and stone, catch fish by traditional methods, and sing traditional songs around the campfire at night. Magical!

Arugam Bay on the east coast is one of the more popular destinations for surfers though less so for tourists, who tend to flock to coastal resorts around Galle on the southwest coast. On my first visit to Arugam Bay I was immediately struck by the abundance of tombstones, seemingly placed at random across the landscape. On December 26, 2004 the massive Indian Ocean tsunami struck Sri Lanka without warning, killing more than 35,000 people, the south and east coasts taking the brunt of its catastrophic force. The vast numbers of dead had to be dealt with rapidly to reduce the spread of disease, and were thus buried or cremated where they were found. One man told me the story of how he lost his wife that day, yet how he considered himself one of the fortunate survivors who  located their loved ones, allowing for proper burial and what’s commonly referred to as closure. Hearing him tell his story, I suspect his search for closure will last a lifetime. Remains of the tsunami could still be seen on the beaches north and south of Arugam Bay– a tennis shoe partially buried here, a broken doll lying in the rocks there, and up and down the coast hotels once bustling with activity now severed at the foundations and left in ruin. Again, however, with the end of the civil war there were concentrated and ongoing efforts towards rebuilding these areas, often located next to long stretches of unpopulated, pristine beaches. Hire a taxi or tuk tuk and travel north from Arugam Bay on the Panama-Kumbakkana Road while watching the landscape become more remote and desolate with each passing kilometer, eventually arriving at the entrance to Yala National Park, one of the best in the world for viewing and photographing leopards. 

There’s so much to see and do in Sri Lanka that it’s important to research and plan your trip in advance, but allow ample flexibility for making adjustments along the way. I’d recommend a minimum of 2-3 weeks just to get your feet wet, and then return a second time if possible since the tendency for first- timers is to overload the itinerary into a short period. This is a sure-fire recipe for frustration and disappointment since life moves much slower here and unforeseen events and happenstance occurrences are the norm. Most of your research can be made via the internet, and by contacting tour information services in Sri Lanka directly. One destination that’s a must see and a great place to start your trip is the Cultural Triangle located in the center of the island, which maintains five of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Sri Lanka - Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy. Each site presents important relics and significant features of Buddhist culture that have endured for centuries, and which continue to preserve Sri Lanka’s standing as a center of Buddhist culture and relgion throughout the world today. You can, for example, photograph Buddhist monks dressed in their bright orange robes performing the puja ceremony below the sacred Bhoda Tree at Anuradhapura, view ancient statues and paintings in the many mysterious caves at Dambulla, and watch the sunrise moving across the plains next to one of the rock pools from atop Sigiriya Rock.

Landscapes

Beaches, jungles, rivers, plains, savannah, hill country and deep valleys

Wildlife

One of the highest rates of biological endemism on the planet

Sri Lankans

Kind, friendly, humble, resourceful, resilient

Religion

 Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity

Stress, tension, noise and air pollution are common characteristics of Sri Lankan daily life, both in the cities and out on the road. Much of this can be avoided by simply limiting your visits to the popular sites and staying at expensive, Western-style hotels. You will, however, return home with a very limited vision of Sri Lanka, which would, in my opinion, be a big mistake: the serendipity of this country functions on a certain level of disorder and frenzy, which requires stepping out of your comfort zone in order to experience what's beneath the surface. Many National Parks– Yala, Gal Oya, Uda Walawe, Madura Oya, Wasgamuwa, etc – teem with wildlife, ironically thanks in part to limited tourism and government neglect during the 26-year civil war. There is limited lodging available inside the parks, which makes viewing and photographing wildlife in the early-morning or late evening hours logistically more difficult, but not at all impossible. Exceptions to this can be found at several National Parks where modest yet comfortable accommodation can be found in lodges or refuges booked well in advance. We spent one night in an open-aired, elevated shelter at Uda Walawe National Park, where we’d timed our stay to coincide with the full moon. Photographing from the balcony via moonlight was similar to shooting in daylight, and it was not at all difficult to watch water buffalo, wild pigs and crocodiles moving along the lakeshore a hundred meters away at midnight. A professional guide is nearly always required for visits to the parks, and justifiably so as there are many hidden dangers that could easily expose one to numberous hazards. Elephants are particularly dangerous: though they appear quite lazy and docile, they’re unpredictable and incredibly powerful, not to mention much faster than humans, killing many Sri Lankans each year. Increasingly, they encroach on farmers crops and have to be killed, the sad reality of the ongoing human-elephant conflict. Poisonous snakes abound, as do crocodiles in mangroves, swamps and rivers. Oddly, sloth bears, seemingly passive, are extremely dangerous, and also worth avoiding.

Sri Lanka is largely a tropical island with distinct dry and wet seasons, complicated by having two monsoons. From May to August the Yala monsoon brings rain to the island’s southwestern half, while the dry season here lasts from December to March. The southwest has the highest rainfall – up to 4000mm a year. The Maha monsoon blows from October to January, bringing rain to the North and East, while the dry season is from May to September. The North and East are comparatively dry, with around 1000mm of rain annually. There is also an inter-monsoonal period in October and November when rain can occur in many parts of the island. The driest (and best) seasons in Sri Lanka are from December to March for the west coast, the south coast and the Hill Country, and from April to September for the ancient cities region and the east coast. December through March are also the months when most foreign tourists visit, the majority of them escaping the European winter. During the Christmas to New Year holiday season, in particular, accommodation anywhere on the island can be tight due to the huge influx of foreign visitors. Sri Lanka is therefore uniquely a year-round destination. There's always a season to visit some areas if not all corners of the country, for photographers and adventure travellers alike.

Photographing in Sri Lanka isn't difficult or complicated, simply plan well ahead of time and bring everything you need - little is available outside of Colombo should your equipment malfunction, or get lost or stolen while on the road. Keep your gear close at all times! It's also vital to protect your camera from sand, humidity and rain. Shower caps provided for free at most hotels work very well for protecting the camera body. A lightweight garbage bag protects both body and lens, simply cut a hole for the lens, then wrap electrical tape around the end to keep water out before attaching a compatible lens hood. A collapsable umbrella is also handy for shooting during rainstorms. I carried two camera bodies and an assortment of lenses along with four batteries, two chargers (plus adapter), six memory cards, polarizing filters for all lenses, two and three stop split ND grad filters (soft step), remote release, tripod with ball head and quick release plates, flash and diffuser, Photoflex white/gold Litedisc diffuser, and a repair kit consisting of allen wrenches, duct tape, small screwdrivers, super glue, etc. This all fit into a Lowe Mini-Trekker camera backpack, though I frequently carried the second camera body in a LowePro OffTrail waistbelt carrier. I also brought a laptop computer, to backup my images and also to view them more effectively at the end of the day. Wifi and 4G have become more common and accessible, along with other communication conveniences. With so much to see in a relatively short time, the objective is often on capturing large animals and big landscapes, thus it's easy to miss the little things right around you. Look for the unusual and unique, search for patterns in nature, and always photograph the food - it's a vital component of any culture. Ask permission to take someone's photo, out of respect, and pay them a few rupees if it feels right. Take your time, slow down, breathe deeply and observe in all directions without any expectations - you are, after all, in a very spiritual and relatively timeless place, not matter where you are in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka Gallery